“But he’s a cowboy. I can’t go out and live in some line shack while he nursemaids a bunch of cows. Uh-uh, that’s not the life for me.”
“Maybe he’d change his line of work and get a town job.”
“Maybe,” Alice said, looking doubtful. “But I’m not too sure that he’d be very happy living in town.”
“Yeah,” Longarm said, “but I can’t imagine you’re very happy now either.”
“You got that right. Say, mister, would you mind if I use your room to clean up a little?”
“Not at all,” Longarm said, leading the way.
He stretched out on the bed and watched as Alice used his washbasin to freshen up. She opened a small handbag and applied some makeup in order to partially hide her fresh and angry bruises.
“How old are you?” Longarm blurted out.
“Old enough to know better than to take on two ornery sonofabitches at once.”
“Marry Monte,” Longarm urged. “Then start over fresh.”
She turned and really looked at him. “You don’t look like no preacher but you sure sound like one.”
“I’m a United States deputy marshal.”
“You are!”
“Yes.”
“Lemme see a badge.”
Longarm dug his badge out of his coat, causing Alice to cluck her tongue with surprise. “Well, no wonder you took care of them two sonofabitches the way you did! Why didn’t you arrest and throw them in jail for beating me up?”
“I’m after bigger prey,” Longarm explained. “And I really would appreciate it if you would not tell anyone that I’m a marshal.”
“Sure, if that’s the way you want it.”
“It is.”
“Who are you after, Marshal?”
“Joe and Dave Marble. Do you know anything about them that might help me?”
To Longarm’s surprise, Alice laughed outright. “Why, I know the size of their peckers! And I know that Dave’s is longer than his brother’s, who grunts like a pig when he’s coupling. Tom is slow, but sometimes he gets too drunk to get it up, and once he even fell asleep while I was undressing! Can you imagine?”
“Not hardly,” Longarm said, “but I need to know how to find them.”
“They’re in Cortez.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” Alice said. “The word is that they stole some cattle and are peddling them off a few at a time.”
“Thanks,” Longarm said, collecting his gear as he prepared to take up the outlaw trail again.
“Hey, Marshal. I owe you for this. You want a little fun this morning?”
“No, thanks.”
Alice blinked with surprise. “I know I look a little rough, but I can make you howl like a lobo wolf.”
“Uh-uh.”
“Why not?”
“‘Cause I’m betting that you are smart enough to marry Monte the next time he comes to town.”
Alice, despite her bruises and pains, put her hands on her shapely hips and laughed. “Why, I do believe you are the strangest marshal I ever met. All the others either wanted to arrest or hump me, one or the other.”
“Get out of here,” Longarm said with an easy grin. “I’ve seen a lot of pretty young girls like you, and the ones that keep whoring all wind up either dead or diseased. It’s no life for any woman, Alice. You’re smart enough to figure that out for yourself.”
“Well,” she said, going over to the door, “Monte did say that his parents have a little spread over in Arizona. He told me that we could get married and they’d let us build a cabin and give us some cattle to start a herd.”
“Sounds good. Did he say where the ranch was?”
“Near a town called Prescott.”
“One of my favorite parts of Arizona,” Longarm said. “Marry the kid and go there. Let him raise cattle and you start raising children and see how good life can be, Alice.”
She shook her head and sighed. “Gawdamn, Marshal, I think I’ve plumb figured you out at last.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. You’re a romantic. That’s exactly what you are. A romantic. I bet anything that you can even spout a sonnet or two, can’t ya?”
Longarm blushed, and then he shooed Alice out the door before he started thinking about getting romantic with
